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Last December, 49 young adults aged 18-24 from eight different regions across Pakistan participated in a seven-day residential programme titled ‘Rang - An Arts and Culture Expedition’ in the historic city of Lahore. The programme aimed to engender greater cultural awareness and inclusiveness, drawing inspiration from the guidance of Mawlana Hazar Imam, amongst the diverse youth of our Jamat. The programme also gave participants an opportunity to understand and experience the transformative impact of cultural preservation on the socio-economic development of communities, through the work of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).
A quarterly newsletter of Imamat Institutions in Pakistan.
This story is of 24-year-old Waseem Sajad, a resident of Chipurson Valley in Upper Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan. Consisting of 11 villages, Chipurson Valley has great strategic importance considering its borders with Pamirs leading to Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
An eminent Muslim leader, thinker and reformer of the 19th century, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III was born in Karachi on the 2nd of November 1877. It is reported that when the Aga Khan I received word of his birth, he had replied, “Name him Sultan,” as he would earn a “distinguished position in the world.” Through Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah’s remarkable achievements over his lifetime, we learned this to be true.
From a village with restricted access to education, and peculiarity associated with working women, Laghli Zamrud defied all odds and became the first midwife of Chitral.
Following the success of the Arts and Culture Hackathon in 2021, ITREB Pakistan's Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture's (AKTC) Education Programme present an enriching and engaging Arts and Culture Expedition titled "Rang - Exploring Culture, Celebrating Diversity." The programme will be held in Lahore from December 5th to 11th, 2022, for youth aged 18-24.
The Ismaili CIVIC Pakistan introduced a module on Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability for schools to aid teachers and parents understand the fundamental concepts of Climate Change and Environment. The module is developed in partnership with LUMS Learning Institute, Aga Khan University – Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) and Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan.
Lisbon, Portugal, 4 September 2022 – The Ismaili Imamat has announced it will be donating US$10 million to support relief efforts following the severe flooding in Pakistan. $5m will be donated directly to the Government of Pakistan while a further $5m will be provided to the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) agencies in the country, which are engaged in the relief efforts.
The Council for Pakistan would like to provide an update on the current economic climate prevalent within the country which remains delicate and there is a need for the Jamat to take careful steps during the present conditions.
Urdu Version
As the nation celebrated Pakistan’s 75th Independence Day with enthusiasm, the Ismaili Girl Guides rejoiced in the day by continuing their legacy of voluntary work. 1,800 Ismaili Girl Guides across Pakistan showed their love and patriotism for the country by indulging in social action and community service giving 6,500 minutes on 75 different projects, benefiting more than 3,500 people, reflecting on the multiple themes of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by United Nations to address global issues and challenges.
Sepak Takraw, a unique sport, also known as kick volleyball, is a team sport, played with a ball made of rattan or synthetic plastic, between two teams of two to four players on a court, resembling a badminton court. Unlike volleyball, in Sepak Takraw, players are not allowed to use their hands to play with the ball and are required to use their feet, head, knees and chest to volley the ball. An emerging sport in Pakistan, Sarfaraz Rehman and Deedar Rani Durdana Khan represented Pakistan at the King’s Cup Sepak Takraw World Championship in Thailand.
"A cosmopolitan society regards the distinctive threads of our particular identities as elements that bring beauty to the larger social fabric," replied Mawlana Hazar Imam in response to a question about globalization at Harvard University. The trend toward globalization has ushered us into an age of residing as a global village. To navigate through the challenges posed by increasingly globalized societies, it has become imperative to enhance and promote inter- and intra-religious harmony and develop mutual understanding and empathy based on an acknowledgement of religious diversity and differences.